Mini Spawn Diary; version 2.0

[wuvmybetta]

Yup, especially with so many, the water changes will help a lot. Also, this is the biggest,biggest growth week. They will change a LOT between week 3 and 4 and I've always found them to be like bottomless pits. So try and feed them as often as you think about it. If they can constantly have food that is even better.

By the way - beebees!

 

[Synirr]

They are actually almost all at around the same size, it's just three I've spotted that are still sooo small. There could very well be more I haven't seen, but considering how closely I examine that tank every day I doubt it
Changing 75% of the water daily is pretty good, right? I'm still going to up my water changes though... I kind of enjoy them )
The babies enjoy playing a game called "swim into the big long tube, fall in the bucket, and make mommy chase me with a turkey baster"

Yes, the ones with odd caudals behave exactly the same as all the rest. They eat well, swim around, and basically act perfectly normal . I'm worried their fins are mangled or something, but then again, I'm paranoid. I've been finding all kinds of problems that aren't actually there, like mistaking pectoral fins for fungus
I know they're not nipping yet, but I've seen some curling around one-another... sooo cute! They're aware that other living things are in the tank now, which is a lot of fun to watch.

Numerous is right, too! I always underestimate when guessing at numbers, so at first I thought there were about 75... after I lost a few, I thought it was getting closer to 50... but I counted about 1/5th of the tank before giving up today and there were 23 in that fifth alone . Looks like I'll be buying some big plastic growout tubs soon! Keep in mind, though, that I always take pics of the corner they all crowd into, so they're not nearly so densely packed in other areas of the tank

I'm feeding them massive amounts of brine shrimp 4-5 times a day... their tummies are NEVER empty! I also still feed microworms because those stay alive in the water a long time so the babies have something to munch on all the time. I can't WAIT to see what they look like next week! Most already have the right body shape; not so tadpole-ish anymore

Edit: This post had so many smilies I'm downright ashamed! Bet you can't tell I'm excited, huh?

 

[Joby]

They are gorgeous

Hope the teeny ones catch up soon and the clamped ones settle down. Sounds like your feeding them lots which is good as Wuv says, they grow so much in this week and water changes galore should keep them fit and healthy.

 

[lilmisstrouble]

more updates more updates!

 

[Synirr]

*Ahem*... ok, I think I've mentioned before that I'm really bad at estimation, right? Well, I tend to vastly underestimate things, so when I thought I had 50 babies left I upped the number to 75....

I took a picture from above the tank looking straight down into the water and counted the babies on my computer..............

126, give or take a few. Man, I am horrible at estimation.

 

[daudy_dojo]

are we still gonna trade fry?? hehe cause i love your lil babies

 

[Synirr]

are we still gonna trade fry?? hehe cause i love your lil babies 

Sure thing

Just thought I'd mention that the biggest, most developed one is starting to get a tiiiiny bit of iridescence on him An early bloomer, I guess. A couple of the largest ones are also showing some dark pigmentation but not much.

Edit: Oh, and they're not nearly as clampy anymore. I got them a different heater and that seems to have done the trick.

 

[daudy_dojo]

YEY just let me get my bettas in the mood WOO So member save a few for me okiday so i can pick and i will save well 100 for you so you can pick.. and we can meet up somewhere and well... make our trade... if you know what i mean jk

 

[Bettabelieveit]

I would be more than interested in housing one of those little guys when they're ready

 

[Andie]

Oooh, so pretty Iddy biddy babies . . . *coos lovingly* MANY iddy biddy babies- 126? That must be one prolific pair! I'd adopt far too many if I could afford it, lol, so I'll admire from a safe distance

Do they look much different now? I'd love to see fresh pics!

 

[OohFeeshy]

Do they look very mini yet? LOL, hope they turn out well

 

[Synirr]

I won't know for sure if any are mini until they're grown, but I hope so. I have three teeny tinies separated out, but I'm guessing they're just small and not actually mini . They're so tiny they'd be in danger of being eaten by their siblings if I left them in.

I held a recount today because the last time I counted they were blending in with the wood of the tank stand. This time I put some white paper under the tank and............ I counted 167 in one picture and 165 in another.
I'm gonna go with 165 because I think I may have counted a couple of reflections and/or snails in the other one. The pic I counted 165 in was clearer. That's a heck of a lot more than I was expecting!! Like 3 times as many as my original estimate!

I adore them, though. I was at my grandmother's house for the weekend and had my dad feed them... I was afraid of what I'd be coming home to (knowing my dad,) but there wasn't a single dead fry! They're getting their anal fins now and some are definitely piling on the iridescence! Some are still light-bodied whereas others are very dark, so I'm optimistic about getting more than one colour

One was very lucky today. He got caught in the piece of paper towl I put over the end of my gravel vac to avoid sucking up fry and was out of water for a good 20 seconds or so before I thought to dunk the end of the vac in water to check for fry. He was a little dazed at first, but now he's perfectly fine! None of the babies have clamped fine anymore either, so I guess the water changes are doing some good

Count the babies

They look like bettas now See how dark some are?

Fry showing some iridescence (see the shimmer on his orange tummy? )

Hi mom and dad!

My Circe cat (named after the witch in the Odyssey) napping on my -- I mean HER fry-watching pillow

 

[Synirr]

We've made it to 4 weeks! Everyone has a complete set of fins (minus ventrals,) and the biggest ones are showing small signs of colour... a couple are VERY iridescent, and one or two are starting to get some red at the base of their fins
I'll be buying a big plastic growout tub in the next couple of weeks and transfering the majority of fry to that. I'll put it in the storage room in our garage which stays in the low 80s during the summer months, so the temp will be perfect

Full tank shot

Group of fry

The "filter worshippers"... apparently there's something in the floss that they think they can eat so they stare and nip at it for hours on end

"Enough pictures, feed me!!"

They're getting very good at tormenting the snails

 

[Kara101584]

Great pictures, they are darling!!

 

[daudy_dojo]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO i cant wait until my bettas get here so i can breed them and start my own lil diary and then trade with you *sings* "IM SO EXCITED I JUST CANT HIDE IT" WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!